Increase Quality of Hire with Network Fit By Catherine Miklaus, GreenJobInterview
As a marketer, I’m always testing what works and what doesn’t work against the data. One of the best methods to gain insight into what’s working is with A/B testing. The same can be said for recruiters. A lot of emphasis has been placed on increasing quality of hire with cultural fit. However, an estimated 20% of hires are still regarded as “bad hires.” How can this be if you’re recruiting employees you’d like to hang out with all week? It’s clear that while a cultural fit is important, recruiters need to adjust their focus. If the A approach isn’t working, let’s try B. It’s time for recruiters to keep the bigger picture in mind and hire for a network fit. Quality of Hire Increases with a Network Fit When it comes to increasing quality of hire, data shows that cultural fit isn’t cutting it. Instead, CEB Global’s meta-study of hiring managers and recruiters shows that hiring for network fit
increases quality of hire by over 30%. In comparison, hiring for cultural fit only increases quality of hire by 12%. Tweet this: Hiring for network fit increases quality of hire by over 30%! Those are some powerful metrics that suggest we should be adjusting our recruiting focus. But what is network fit? Network fit is a blend of hiring for skill set, cultural fit, and an elusive third element- an employee’s values and work style. Hiring for network fit means hiring managers need to assess not only a candidate’s skills and attitude, but how they might work alongside the team. Is this a person willing to put in long hours and collaborate? Or is this candidate better suited to solo projects? Knowing your organization’s values and work style is important to assess a candidate’s network fit. Is this Candidate a Good Network Fit Determining network fit can be difficult for a recruiter or hiring manager. Afterall, even with the availability of many assessment tools, determining the candidate’s values and work style can be difficult. A great way to do so is to use asynchronous video interviews in the assessment process. These “one-way” video interviews offer recruiters and hiring managers an opportunity to prepare in depth questions that focus on the logic behind a candidate’s choices. Asking a candidate to explain their choices can reveal a lot about that candidate. It can reveal potential areas of frustration, their attitude towards work, and their belief about how the work should be done. Asynchronous video interviews offer employers a unique opportunity to get answers to these questions that may not be obtained in a phone screen or live interview. By sending these in advance and asking a candidate for their response, the hiring manager is guaranteed a more thoughtful and in depth answer. Afterall, the candidate has time on their side to consider the question and prepare their answer. Candidates who don’t answer these questions also reveal their work style and attitude towards work. They reveal that they’re just not interested in going the extra mile to get results. Or, they reveal a lack of technological prowess that could be out of sync with your team. The next time you’re recruiting for an open position, consider hiring for network fit instead of cultural fit. Increase your quality of hire and gain a more holistic view of a candidate.